Dictionary Article

Literally a change of mind, not about individual plans, intentions, or beliefs, but rather a change in one’s attitude about God. Such repentance accompanies saving faith in Christ (Acts 20:21). It is inconsistent and unintelligible to suppose that anyone could believe in Christ yet not repent. Repentance is such an important aspect of conversion that it is often stressed rather than saving faith, as when Christ said that there is joy in heaven among the angels over one sinner who repents (Lk 15:7). The apostles described the conversion of the Gentiles to Christ as God granting them “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). Evangelical repentance and faith in Christ are in fact inseparable, though a convert may be aware of one aspect more than another.

Such penitence is not an isolated act but a disposition of the mind, providing a spur for behavior that accords with God’s declared will. Recognition of daily sins and shortcomings provides the occasion for renewed acts of penitence and for fresh exercises of faith in Christ. One of the deepest and most noteworthy expressions of such penitence is David’s account of his adultery with Bathsheba (Ps 51). Whole churches are, on occasion, called to repent (Rv 2:5). Second Corinthians 7 contains an interesting and full description of such corporate repentance involving the elements of sorrow for sin and a determined resolve to forsake old sinful ways and to behave properly. While repentance is often accompanied by deep feelings, it is not equivalent to such feelings but is rooted in convictions about the sinner’s own need before a holy God.

Both John the Baptist (Mt 3:2; Mk 1:4) and Christ (Mk 1:15) were preachers of repentance, calling not the righteous but sinners to repent. And in accordance with the Great Commission (Lk 24:44-49), the apostles continued the same kind of preaching—beginning with Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), with noteworthy results. See Confession; Conversion; Forgiveness; Regeneration; Salvation.

Can God Repent?

Occasionally, in some translations of the OT, God is said to ”repent.“ A classic example is found in his treatment of Nineveh during Jonah’s prophetic ministry there (Jon 3:10). God told Jonah to proclaim judgment to Nineveh, yet once the Ninevites repented, God relented (KJB “repented”)—no judgment came. Such an attitude is not to be understood as denoting either personal sorrow on God’s part or a change in his eternal purpose, but rather a change in, or an updating of, his announced purpose and in his relations with people as they themselves change. Such a way of describing God’s relation to his creatures is one of many in which, as Calvin and others have stressed, God “accommodates himself” to humans.

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary